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What are the reasons for sudden hair loss

If you are suffering from sudden hair loss, quite possibly without any warning, there are a number of conditions, permanent and temporary, which may be causing this spontaneous loss of hair.

Losing hair is usually a natural process, largely dictated by your genes and to some extent, your lifestyle. In fact for many people with a family history of baldness, combined with a stressful or unhealthy lifestyle, losing hair can be almost unavoidable. Sudden hair loss on the other hand, usually occurs for another reason. Here we examine the main reasons why your hair may fall out quite suddenly. Your body goes through cycles of hair replacement on your scalp. There is a resting period of 2-3 months, then the hair falls out and a new hair grows in its place. It’s normal to have hair loss daily but excessive sudden hair loss should be investigated, as there is most likely an underlying cause.

Possible reasons for sudden hair loss -

Alopecia condition

The most common cause of sudden hair loss is one of many forms of alopecia. Alopecia is defined as a hair loss disease that affects men, women, and children. The onset of hair loss is often sudden, random and frequently recurrent. While the disease itself is not damaging to the person’s health, coping with alopecia can prove challenging.

Androgenetic Alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness, is responsible for naturally occurring hair loss as a person ages. There are, however, other strains of alopecia that manifest themselves in a far more aggressive manner. For example, Alopecia Areata causes baldness in soft, round patches on the scalp or elsewhere on the body. Alopecia Areata sufferers may go onto remission briefly, permanently, or never recover. Unfortunately, like other forms of alopecia, the condition is wholly unpredictable.

In addition, Alopecia Totalis, currently believed to be an autoimmune disorder, can result in the entire loss of head hair and can occur quite suddenly. Alopecia Universalis furthermore, usually results in an entire loss of all body hair, including the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes.

Another cause of sudden hair loss is wearing your hair in too tight of buns, braids, or ponytails. Referred to traction alopecia, this causes the roots to become weakened and scarred, permanently damaging the hair system.

Hormonal problems

Thyroid disease, overactive or under-active, often accounts for sudden hair loss, which is readily treatable. A pregnant woman may also experience hair loss because of the loss of hormones after delivery. As soon as her hormone levels rise over time, her hair will stop falling out. Similarly, there are other conditions which cause hormonal imbalance in women’s body and may lead to hair loss as well. Common examples are PCOS, ovarian cysts, and menopause.

Medical intervention

Medications such as blood thinners and birth control pills can cause sudden hair loss. Hair may even fall out after a long illness however this effect is usually temporary. Drugs used in the treatment of gout, depression, arthritis, high blood pressure and heart problems can also lead to increased hair loss. Chemotherapy drugs and radiation treatment are other common causes.

Lifestyle factors

A poor diet or lack of exercise, combined with high levels of stress or lack of sleep, can cause the body to age prematurely. All manner of symptoms may arise from such a lifestyle, including poor skin and nail condition, and also hair loss in some cases.

What can you do to avoid sudden hair loss?

Creating good health for your hair and averting hair loss is in your hands. It is advisable to consult a doctor, the moment you notice any change in your hair health. The underlying reasons, caught in due time, can be controlled by medication or lifestyle changes.

A professional medical doctor should be consulted on any medication in order to avoid complications if you are taking any other drugs. The doctor will analyze your hair and scalp so that you can reduce further damage and improve the quality of hair health.

The earlier you meet your doctor; the better will be the outcome of your treatment.